| GAMEDAY LINKS: | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | Final |
| Box Score | Detroit Pistons | 17 | 28 | 9 | 24 | 10 | 88 |
| Play by Play | Los Angeles Lakers | 24 | 17 | 20 | 17 | 7 | 85 |
/esi:vars)
POSTGAME QUOTESMike Brown:(On game): “Obviously throughout the course of the game we didn’t play the game the right way offensively. I thought the ball stayed on the strong side of the floor too much, too often. We did a better job with it the second half, but the first half we were real stagnant. To shoot 42% and score 85 points was a part of that. Obviously we had to take a couple threes at the end of the game, but we didn’t shoot the three-ball very well.” (On Rodney Stuckey): “It was very disappointing. Not just him, our team defense because we couldn’t stop him. We blitzed him, we played our regular defense, and all he did was just drive the ball every time and he got to the rim and got lay-up, after lay-up, after lay-up.” (On difference in first and second half): “Just watching the body language of our guys, it wasn’t good. I thought we were kind of just going through the motions. I don’t know if we thought it was going to be easy coming in here because of their record or whatever. You hear talk about before this road trip that we’re going to go 3-0 or sweep this road trip because of these guys’ record. We’re playing NBA teams and it doesn’t matter who you’re playing. You got to come out and be focused for 48 minutes.” Andrew Bynum: (On personal performance): “We can play together. We knew we didn’t pass the ball, we didn’t move bodies, we get stagnant and it cost us every night. We move the ball to the open man and everything will work itself out.” (On losing): “It just hurts because we were in a prime position to win these three games and move up in the standings. It might be three now, it might be four now but we have to chase San Antonio.” Lawrence Frank:(On Rodney Stuckey leading the team in the fourth quarter and overtime): “Obviously, (Rodney) Stuckey did an unbelievable job of attacking the paint. To me, this was a quality game because when you look at it we did not even shoot 40% in the game. We scored nine points in the third quarter; we went six and a half minutes without scoring. We did actually have some great shots; we just did not make them. I thought the second unit changed the game in the second quarter; we really thrived off their energy. I thought we had great minutes from those guys and then we made some big plays. Just defensively, even when we could not make shots, you hold a quality team like the Lakers to 42% and get the key stops down low and obviously Kobe (Bryant) made a great shot to put the game into overtime and yet our guys kept the resolve. The last offensive play did not work out the way we wanted it to, but we got the stop, we executed what we did, a foul to give, contested the three and got the rebound. I was just proud of the resolve that our guys showed dealing with the different turbulence throughout the game.” (On whether the last foul was planned or not): “Oh yes, without a doubt. We had a foul to give and then fouled again. However, now the smart thing and the tough thing Kobe is a smart guy so he knows (what the plan is). And you know Tay (Tayshaun Prince) is obviously very bright, so the timing of when you can foul is by if the guys back is to you, if the guy is in dribble motion, but Kobe obviously knows this because he has been through this drill before. But the key was doing our work when he was pinned against the sideline just to make it a tougher show. I thought Tay did a tremendous job blocking him.” Rodney Stuckey:(On slow start in the first quarter): “I got in foul trouble early. I knew I was going to come into the second quarter and I knew I was going to be going against their second unit, so I was just trying to be aggressive against them. I knew I could get a few easy baskets with Steve Blake and (Andrew Goudelock), but from there I just got going. I was aggressive and just taking what the defense gives me.” (On playing aggressive): “Absolutely, that’s my game; I’ve been doing that since high school. Just being aggressive taking the ball to the basket, that’s pretty much my game.” (On the game slowing down when he is aggressive): “Yea, I’m just playing out there. I’m pretty much just reading what the defense gives me. I know when I get the ball off a miss; my mindset is to push it as fast as I can while the defense is not set. That allows me to get to the basket, get a foul; something like that. I’m pretty much reading what the defense gives me.” |
Lakers-Pistons Preview By NOEY KUPCHANPlaying through a broken nose and a recent concussion, red-hot Kobe Bryant has helped the Los Angeles Lakers open the second half of their season in impressive fashion. A visit to face the Detroit Pistons seems unlikely to slow them down. The Lakers kick off a three-game road swing seeking a fourth consecutive victory overall and sixth straight over the Pistons on Tuesday night. Bryant, who was injured on a hard foul by Miami's Dwyane Wade during the All-Star game Feb. 26, has been nearly unstoppable since. Playing with a mask to prevent the risk of further injury, Bryant has averaged 34.0 points on 54.3 percent shooting in leading the Lakers (23-14) to three wins in a row. Bryant continued his tremendous play during Sunday's much-anticipated matchup with the Heat. The 14-time All-Star shot a season-best 14 of 23 (60.9 percent) to finish with 33 points as Los Angeles improved to 8-2 over its last 10 games with a 93-83 victory. "It's just about understanding what your strengths are then playing to that," said Bryant, who is expected to continue wearing the mask on this trip. "The testament to any championship team is to understand what your weaknesses are and protect those, then understand what your strengths are and playing to those. I feel like we're starting to figure out how to support each other in that department." While Bryant has been sensational, the Lakers have also thrived on the defensive end of the court. Los Angeles, which limited Miami to 37.5 percent shooting, ranks near the top of the league in opposing field-goal percentage (41.7) and points per game allowed (91.4). The Lakers have taken five straight from the Pistons (12-26), including three in a row at The Palace of Auburn Hills by an average of 13.3 points. In his last visit, Bryant scored 33 in a 103-90 victory Nov. 17, 2010, and Pistons coach Lawrence Frank knows his team will likely have its hands full again. "They don't run the triangle (anymore), but they'll play (Bryant) in the post, they'll play him off the elbow, they'll put him in pick and rolls," Frank told his team's official website. "He's a great player. You could run the octagon and Kobe is going to find a way to be special in it. "He's a winner. He's got five championship rings. But we're just talking about playing one game. That's all we need to focus on." The Pistons enter this matchup losers of four of five, with their only win during that stretch coming 109-94 over NBA-worst Charlotte on Wednesday. Detroit saw its struggles continue Saturday, falling 100-83 at Memphis. The Pistons shot 38.2 percent and committed seven of their 17 turnovers in the fourth quarter, when they were outscored 31-13. "We just have to take care of the ball," said guard Rodney Stuckey, who scored 20 points on 6-of-22 shooting. "We turned the ball over a lot at the end of the game. I think if we would just take care of the ball and spread the court out a little more, we would have been fine." Rookie guard Brandon Knight, averaging 16.9 points over his last seven games, scored 15 but missed 11 of 16 shots against the Grizzlies. "It's frustrating, but it's a building process. We're still getting better," Knight said. "We saw a lot of good signs. We've just got to step it up in the fourth quarter." | .
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| GAME NOTES SEASON & SERIES NOTES; CONNECTIONS BRYANT SETS ALL-TIME RECORD FOR POINTS SCORED AT ONE ARENA WIRE-TO-WIRE LAKERS MAKE IT 17 STRAIGHT AGAINST THE TIMBERWOLVES KOBE BRYANT PASSES MICHAEL JORDAN FOR MOST CAREER POINTS IN ALL-STAR GAME HISTORY WORLD PEACE RECORDS 1,500th CAREER STEAL LAKERS HOLD BLAZERS TO SEVEN FIRST QUARTER POINTS *Statistical research assistance provided by the Elias Sports Bureau |
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